leaking

[jd11365]

Does it ever end??? I am going through several changes of breast pads each day and leak through them...which is embarrassing. She's only 3 weeks old...does my "fullness" change as she gets older? It also makes her choke when she starts eating. Some of you had mentioned pumping some off first, but I don' t want to create more milk by pumping some then having her feed. Any thoughts?

[stillplayswithbarbies]

Yes,the leaking ends. At 8 weeks, I have pretty much stopped leaking except when she is eating I leak out of the other side sometimes. I still wear breast pads all day, just in case, especially out in public.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel 2/27/91
Logan Elizabeth 3/25/03

[chrissyhowie]

Yes!! The leaking does get under control after a while. After a while your body figures out about how much you need and stops overproducing. (We're such efficient machines, aren't we?:))

The choking will get better too as your DD gets used to handling the milk flow.

What kind of breast pads are you using? I found the Lansinoh pads to be the best. They are comfortable and thin, and I have never leaked through them, despite them being very heavy with milk at times.

HTH,

[jd11365]

Lansinoh, Gerber, Avent, Bravado...doesn't seem to matter...I'm a faucet!

[chrissyhowie]

Gosh, you go girl! At least you know that Kayla will never go hungry :9 LOL!

[AngelaS]

I had this same problem! It does get better. :) I didn't pump either, I just bought LOTS of breastpads! :D

[Rachels]

Yes, the leaking will likely end. I leaked for about six weeks, I think. Some people leak longer, but not with the ferociousness of the very beginning. Yes, your fullness will change. Your supply will become regulated to her demand, and then, after a few months, that chronic full feeling just goes away. My bra size has decreased now, too, even though my baby still nurses frequently. And finally, you won't increase your supply if you pump or hand express just past the initial letdown. After all, your baby would be getting that milk otherwise. Expressing a little milk might help her with the choking. Your letdown will likely slow a bit over time, too, and your baby will learn to manage it as well.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[Denyse]

Yes that full feeling does go away. I was so worried at first that I wasn't producing as much milk but it turned out I just lost that full feeling that you are describing.

As far as leaking, my Brett is 15 weeks and I still leak from one side a LOT. The other side almost never leaks unless I have a letdown. I'm still waiting for the leaking to subside but it has gotten better.

[jd11365]

Glad to know there could be light at the end of the tunnel...this leaking is no fun at all...but at least I know the baby is eating well! BTW though I soak through them too, the Johnson and Johnson pads seem to hold up the best (even though I still leak through them they hold the most) for any other "faucets" out there...

[August Mom]

I leaked for months (I believe it was 4 months) rather than weeks, especially overnight. The J&J contoured pads were my favorite in shape but I leaked every time with them. I never had a leak with Curity nursing pads and they were the cheapest too. They might be worth a try.

[sparkeze]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I stopped using breast pads during the day a month ago and I'm still using them at night! But the good news is that I don't just leak whenever, only during letdown, so if needed I can apply pressure to stop it.

The fullness and fast letdown definitely changed for me though - around 3 months I stopped feeling like I was full of milk all the time and the older DS got he was able to handle it better. I'm not quite sure if it was the letdown that got less forceful or that DS was just able to handle it better, but no more choking!

At 3 weeks your body is still adjusting - pretty normal I'd say. Hopefully you'll be luckier than me and stop leaking earlier though! :)

[FloridaMomtoBe]

I too felt like I would never stop leaking but alas at around 3 or 3-1/2 months, things really stabilized. In fact, I posted the exact same question some months back when I was really frustrated about it. Although I was lucky enough to have my son sleeping through the night from about 6 weeks, it did make for a lot of leakage in the mornings. I was nursing him first thing in the morning and then pumping a couple of hours later before I went to work, so that I would have fewer times to pump at work. Turns out that the nursing followed by pumping shortly thereafter kept my supply up very high. When I began delaying my first pumping until a couple of hours later, everything began falling into place.

Don't worry, it will get better...but at different times for everyone. Hope it does for you soon. By the way, I second the vote for Curity pads as they were the only ones capable of containing my leaking to a large extent until things settled down.

Good luck.

[MartiesMom2B]

Where do you apply pressure to stop the leaking? I'm a faucet too. I leak through my cotton pads onto my shirts. Everything smells like milk, my shirts, diapers, receiving blankets. When I start to leak I just grab a nearby cloth and stuff it down the cup of the other bra. I do like the lansinoh and gerber pads though. I hope I stop leaking too.

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03
http://www.mcdyer.com/MartieSurasky.htm

[sparkeze]

The way I do it is I press my open palm against the leaking nipple and push up, towards my shoulder. I usually start when I feel the let-down, and stop when the feeling subsides. Sometimes if I'm really full I have to hold it a bit longer though.

If you feel yourself letting down in public (not while nursing)you can always do the arms crossed across your chest thing. You use your palms in the same way but you cross your arms in front of you to disguise what you're doing! Other people say to press down on the nipple with your palm (like towards the floor) to stop leaking but in my experience it makes milk squirt out! Hmm, not what I was hoping for! :)

[JenaW]

Hi

My baby is three weeks old too, so I can't help with the "will it ever end" question! (I am wondering the same thing). But I highly recommend the curity pads like some others suggested. They are the ONLY ones that even come close to contianing my faucets...although I can not make it through the night with only one pair. Sometimes at night I wear them AND the terry cloth ones that came with my Bravados. I found the curity pads at Walmart and Wegmans (our local grocery store).

HTH
~Jera

[Jodi]

I hate to be the bearer of 'bad' news, but I'm still leaking occasionally after 8 *months* of BF'ing. But only from one side and not nearly as much as I used to--I used to go through Lanisoh breast pads with alarming frequency until Ella was about 4 or 5 months old. Now, I usually apply pressure to the leaky side while I feed off the other side and that usually keeps me mostly dry.

HTH,
Jodi (Ella's mom)